Toyota dominates Spain's top 10; Renault and Stellantis absent

Spain's Best-Selling Cars in September: Five Toyotas, No Renaults

The month's best-selling car is French, but the rest of the table reveals an uncomfortable pattern for European industry: five Japanese brands in the top ten, one Chinese, one German, and two Korean. Not a single model from Renault or the Stellantis group (Citroën, Opel, Peugeot, Jeep). The paradox is that the number one spot is indeed French, debunking the easy argument that "French cars don't sell." They do. It's the rest that don't.

The trigger for this debate isn't just the list itself, but the context it carries: Stellantis engines, nicknamed Pudretek by users, have accumulated a decade of sales with known faults and thousands of affected owners, according to participants. The commercial collapse trinc fruta damage, not precedes it.

Which Cars Dominate the List and Why Toyota

The table is easy to read: five Toyotas in the top 10. The most repeated argument to explain this isn't design or price, but the CVT transmission. And that's where the fight begins. Some defend it as a trouble-free urban solution, while others consider it a sentence for those who drive on highways daily. The most common defense: "It works well in the city. On the highway, if you're patient, it's fine. No problems." The criticism isn't about reliability, but about the driving feel.

Corporate weight in the rankings is another data point entering the conversation. More cars are bought through fleets than by individuals, changing the interpretation: it's not just a domestic consumption decision, but a corporate fiscal and accounting one.

The Stellantis Case: From Problematic Engine to Commercial Collapse

The group encompassing Citroën, Opel, Peugeot, and Jeep fails to place even one model among the top ten. The circulating diagnosis is twofold: an engine allegedly poorly designed for ten years and a customer base that no longer forgives. The timing belt with known failures appears as the recurring example. There is no surprise, only wear and tear.

Product defense also exists, and is more nuanced than it seems: "the pudretech with a belt has well-known faults, they aren't fixed but are no longer a problem if you know how to handle them." In other words, the fault isn't denied; it's managed. That is the level of the debate.

Price as Argument: €19,000 vs. €26,000

The most concrete comparison appearing in the discussion is economic. A Stellantis group model with 130 hp can be found for €19,000. Its Japanese hybrid rival doesn't drop below €26,000. A €7,000 difference buys many reliability arguments.

The counterargument is useful power: "I prefer 130 hp indefinitely over 140 hp for 10 seconds and then 100 hp." The criticism of hybrids isn't that they fail, but that they deliver power in installments. And regarding reliability, there is an uncomfortable thesis: "a hybrid can never be more reliable than a pure petrol car, you have two propulsion systems."

Electric Cars and Subsidies That Don't Arrive

The other front is electric vehicles. The fine print of advertised prices includes government mobility incentives, scrapping subsidies, Moves incentive, a 15% IRPF deduction, and a commercial discount. All subject to approval and availability depending on the area. The result is a showcase price that not everyone receives.

The underlying criticism isn't of the car, but of the tax structure: electricity for automotive use bears 10% VAT while gasoline is "hammered with taxes." The day the tax burden equalizes, the cost-per-kilometer calculation changes. And the complete calculation, including amortization periods, is in the source.

Used Car Market as Refuge

Facing new car prices, the used strategy emerges: buy a ten-year-old car and keep it for fifteen. Savings compared to those who renew every four or five years are estimated at fifteen times the amount, and that money, invested, changes wealth position. The conclusion drawn: the person driving an old car isn't the fool in the movie.

There are concrete examples of longevity: an Audi A6 2.5 TDI with 575,000 kilometers, with axles, pads, discs, and timing belt as the only relevant maintenance, and suspension arms changed at 350,000. And a four-cylinder petrol car for sale with 532,000 kilometers. Displacement and fuel matter less than the industry wants us to believe.

European Manufacturing and Warnings About Segarro and Turkey

The final twist in the analysis is geographic. The Dacia Sandero is not a French car: it is manufactured in Segarro. The Toyotas sold here are not Japanese: they are manufactured in Turkey. Spain was the second-largest car manufacturer in the EU, and that position is eroding due to free trade agreements with third countries.

The pointed conclusion isn't tariff-related, but industrial: either start manufacturing electrics with the Chinese supply chain, or things get bad. The European automotive industry, they say, is heading for disaster. With these ingredients, does anyone expect the next list to be different?